West Ham United are pleased to announce the permanent signing of promising defender Shannon Cooke on a long-term agreement, subject to international clearance.
The 22-year-old joins after spending four-and-a-half years with Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers in the United States of America.
Before that, Cooke spent her formative years at Arsenal, making her WSL debut in the penultimate match of the 2017/18 season, when she replaced Beth Mead late on in a win over Sunderland.
Cooke has represented England at every level from U15 to U19 and now returns to England to help the Hammers climb the table in the WSL.
“I’m thrilled to sign for West Ham United," she told whufc.com. “It's been a dream of mine for a very long time to sign my first professional contract, so to be able to do that at such a great Club like West Ham is fantastic.
"The WSL is one of the best leagues in the world, and I wanted to come somewhere that would push me every day to progress. Being in such an elite environment here at West Ham gives me an opportunity to do that and I can't wait to get going here."
Paul Konchesky is pleased to add the defender to his squad and believes she is a player that the fans will love to watch in action.
The manager explained: “We’re delighted to be able to add Shannon to the squad. She’s a natural leader and has a lot of variety with her passing range and is somebody who adds quality to our backline.
“She’s a defender that just loves doing the basics, putting her body on the line to help the team – and every West Ham fan knows that’s a player that we love here at this Club.”
Born in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, Cooke joined Arsenal’s Academy in 2014, where she would progress through the academy and earn several individual and team accolades.
She captained the Gunners’ U20s side to a league and FA Cup double back in 2016 before playing twice for the senior side in May 2018 in wins over Sunderland and Bristol City.
Four-and-a-half years at LSU followed, where Cooke would go on to be captain of the side in 2021 and 2022. In total, she played 94 times during her time in the Bayou State, scoring nine goals.
She now returns to England to link up with the Hammers as they aim to finish as high as possible in the Barclays Women's Super League.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Shannon to the Club and wish her every success for her time in Claret and Blue.
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